Using Enrichment and Extracurricular Activities to ...

1 The Science Education Review, 1(4), 2002 149:1 Using Enrichment and Extracurricular Activities to influence secondary Students Interest and Participation in Science Peter Eastwell Science Time Educational Consultancy, Queensland, Australia L onie Rennie Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia Abstract A quasi-longitudinal case study was used to determine the effects on secondary students of participation in a program of Enrichment and Extracurricular science Activities in terms of their interest and enjoyment in being involved in science Activities , their motivation to continue to participate in science, and their perceptions about scientists and about the role of science in society.

2 Two groups of students in an Australian school were followed simultaneously, a junior cohort through Years 8 to 10 and a senior cohort through Years 10 to 12. Data were collected from 20 students; 5 girls and 5 boys from each cohort. A strong positive relationship was found between changes in students interest and enjoyment and changes in their motivation, and both these variables increased, in an overall sense for the combined student population, during the study period. All students generally held a high perception of both the normality of scientists and the importance of science in society throughout the study period.

3 Participation in science Activities impacted overall positively, but to varying extents for different Activities , on all four dependent variables. Suggestions for the structure and/or conduct of competitions, excursions, and practical work, including the design of museum exhibits, and implications for further research are presented. The paper is based on the first author s doctoral dissertation. Introduction Many schools offer a range of Enrichment and Extracurricular science learning experiences to their students, such as participation in competitions, excursions, guest evenings, practical investigations, work experience, vacation schools, and seminars.

4 Primary aims of providing these are to motivate students to continue their participation in science and to promote an understanding of the importance of science. At the same time, many of the Activities provide practice in some of the processes of science. But how effective are these Enrichment and Extracurricular Activities ? Are their outcomes worth the time and teacher effort required to organise them? Given that the Australian climate is characterised by the need for more graduates with a background in science and technology and a generally negative perception of the population of science and scientists (Eastwell, 1998), do these Activities have a positive effect on students attitudes and perceptions about science?

5 This study is based on data from 20 students. The choice of this relatively small population was necessary to ensure, in the context of available resources, a feasible detailed longitudinal study. The dependent variables measured in the study are not necessarily variables that change dramatically, and the influences of experiences such as Enrichment and Extracurricular science Activities can be long-term. While other studies might answer different questions effectively Using cross-sectional designs, the longitudinal design appears most appropriate in attempting to answer the research questions persuasively, because time is allowed for both short- term and longer-term effects to be realised.

6 The Science Education Review, 1(4), 2002 149:2 Research Question This article reports the findings of a study designed to answer this four-part question: What effects does students participation in Enrichment and Extracurricular Activities have on their interest and enjoyment in being involved in science Activities , their motivation to continue to participate in science, and their perceptions about scientists and about the role of science in society? Method The study was carried out at Glendale College (a pseudonym), a relatively small independent, coeducational, primary and secondary , day and boarding school situated in a small rural Australian city in the state of Queensland and having a predominantly Caucasian population.

7 The majority (70-85%) of secondary students at each year level were boarders who came from diverse locations which included rural Queensland and Northern New South Wales, metropolitan areas, and, to a lesser extent, Asian countries. The academic abilities of secondary students covered a broad range. During their senior years, students could choose to study any one or more of the subjects Biology, chemistry , and Physics, and enrolments in these subjects, including male-to-female ratios, were broadly typical of data for Queensland as a whole (Beasley, Butler, & Satterthwait, 1993).

8 Science classes at the college were taught by four experienced Caucasian teachers (two male and two female), two of whom originated from overseas and had overseas teaching experience. The first author was the researcher and one of the male teachers, also serving as Head of Science. As such, he taught most of the students selected to be involved in the study. The quasi-longitudinal research design adopted involved following simultaneously two cohorts of students through years of secondary education; the first (junior) cohort from the middle of their Year 8 to the end of Year 10, and the second (the senior cohort) from the middle of Year 10 to the end of Year 12.

9 Data were collected from a sample of students within each cohort. As a result of attrition, the composition of the two student samples varied during the study period. However, information was collected in such a way that the final analysis of data involved 10 students (five girls and five boys) from each cohort; 20 students in all. The final junior sample students were a generally able group (8 of these 10 students achieved at an A or B level, of six possible levels A-F, in their Junior Science course), and at least 8 of the 10 final senior sample students proceeded to a tertiary science, or science-based, course.

10 The tertiary destination of one student is unknown. Data were collected primarily by three annual interviews during 1992, 1993, and 1994, interviews that varied in length from approximately 20 minutes to 55 minutes. During the interviews, students were asked to rate, on a 0-10 scale, their interest and enjoyment in being involved in science Activities , their motivation to continue their study of science, and their view of the importance of science in society. They were asked to describe their senior science subject (with the exception of Year 8 students), career, and/or tertiary course thoughts and their view of scientists and the role of science in society.